Pinoys urged to drink more milk

MANILA, Philippines – The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) urged Filipinos yesterday to increase their consumption of dairy products, such as milk, to lower the incidence of osteoporosis and other calcium deficiency-related diseases.

Diseases associated with calcium deficiency include hypertension, stroke, colon cancer and osteoporosis, the FNRI said.

Studies showed that one in three women aged 50 years and above has osteoporosis.

As one ages, the risk of developing the disease increases, particularly in those who are sedentary, and many have early stages of osteoporosis without realizing it, Dr. Mario Capanzana, FNRI director, said.

Osteoporosis is a dreadful disease, but it can be prevented, reports said. “Building strong bones way before menopause can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis. A healthy lifestyle is a must for keeping bones strong,” Capanzana said.

He added that lactose intolerant people are more at risk for low-calcium intake due to avoidance of dairy products.

Lactose intolerance is the body’s inability to digest the milk sugar lactose.

Based on the 2003 Food Consumption Survey of the FNRI, Filipinos’ daily calcium intake is only about half of the required amount, making them more at risk to calcium deficiency-related diseases.

Only 15.9 percent of households had per capita calcium intake of at least 80 percent of the recommended energy nutrient intake (RENI), the FNRI said.

The average daily calcium requirement is 760 milligrams.

The institute said that the low calcium intake can be attributed to low consumption of milk and milk products, which comprise only 5.6 percent of Filipinos’ total food intake.

One glass of milk (four tablespoons of powdered full cream milk) provides 310 milligrams of calcium or 44 percent of the recommended calcium intake for a seven- to nine-year-old child, the FNRI said.

Children seven to nine years old need 700 milligrams of calcium a day, it said.

In a separate study, the FNRI said the risk for osteoporosis, based on prevalence rates of fracture, is the same for males and females in the country.

The FNRI said when calcium intake is low, the body makes use of the calcium in the bones to function well, making the bones brittle and porous if there is not enough calcium stored.

“The body stores calcium best during infancy until 30 years old when bone-building occurs,” Capanzana said.

During adolescence, bones reach maximum strength and density, he added.

The FNRI noted that gender affects bone mass or density, which is generally higher among boys than girls.

Aside from milk, other sources of calcium are small fish like anchovies (dilis) and sardines, soy bean curd (tokwa or tofu), small shrimps (alamang), and green leafy vegetables like horseradish leaves (malunggay), jute leaves, (saluyot), malabar nightshade leaves (alugbati) and mustard leaves (mustasa).